Monthly Archives: December 2014

On December 17th, we had our annual DECSA Client Christmas Party, and just like other years it was a long but fun-filled day! Normally, we host the party at our building, but this year our Christmas party committee decided to try something a little bit different! We were given the opportunity to hold it at Beverly Alliance Church, where we set up tables and decorated their gymnasium, and did all the cooking downstairs in a much bigger kitchen. This year’s party also had more of a formal feel to it, with a violinist, table hosts (who served the food), and even a little dance at the end.

A big thank you to everyone who came and helped us make many new memories!

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

For those of you who missed it, last Tuesday, December 2nd was Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to supporting charities, non profits, and communities, not only in Canada, but around the globe. Everyone was encouraged to participate in whatever way they could, whether as an individual, an organization, or a large company. In keeping with the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we decided to pick a few organizations, community members, and employers, and surprise them with Tim Horton’s coffee and Timbits. By the end of the day, we had visited five different places that we wished to recognize.

Our first stop was at our local fire station, Station #7. We wanted to say thank you to the fire fighters at this location, as for the past few years they have come to our Annual Community Pancake Breakfast, along with one of their fire trucks. They’ve even been known to flip some pancakes!

The second stop of the day was at Northlands, which is just across the road from us. We wanted to thank them for their continuous support in donating to our Annual Community Pancake Breakfast!

Stop number three was at Sunlife Financial, just off the Whitemud. After getting lost a few times, we finally found the correct office, where we could deliver our treats! We wanted to also acknowledge Sunlife for donating to our Annual Community Pancake Breakfast. Although our main point of contact was not in the office, we did get to leave the treats for the rest of the staff!

The fourth stop on our coffee and Timbits list was at The Canadian Native Friendship Centre. We wanted to thank them for all the good work that they do in the community

Last but not least, we stopped by Sol Thermal, a company which is one of our Star Employers. The workers inside were pretty excited when they saw us walk through the warehouse with coffee and Timbits, and even more pumped when they found out it was for them!

A number of years ago, when I was training with a group of salespeople, I was taught how to make an “elevator speech.” The concept was simple. Be prepared to share in a few sentences, and in around thirty seconds or less, what you were all about. Disciplining ourselves to cut out all that was unnecessary, we learned to describe ourselves in a few succinct sentences. The purpose was to allow us to quickly engage with potential clients, customers and business associates in a positive, professional and memorable manner. In this way we narrowed the margin for errors we might make when we were trying to make a good first impression. No more rambling about our past. No more hesitation and awkward silences. We learned to present a straight delivery of the goods. The result was that potential customers became more responsive, as did potential business associates…